Chapter 245 - Faction Colors

"Was this all you were worried about or was there something else?" I asked.

"No, that was it. It's nothing against you, but I needed to make sure we were on the same page. I saw enough infighting during my trip and I'm worried that... whatever this turns into won't go over well." he said.

"How do you think it will go? I didn't think it would be a problem," I asked curiously. We had discussed the possibility of things going south during our meeting, but we weren't confident it would happen.

"Oh, it's probably nothing, but think about it from an outside perspective. You've been the strongest around since we got out of the tutorial, but people will be there from all over the country.

"From New York all the way to Florida, or what Florida turned into. Millions of people. Some of which will be just as strong if not stronger than you are." He said.

Picking up what he was getting at, I continued for him, "And you think so many people used to being in control and the strongest in the room won't play well together."

He nodded, "I've seen it before. Especially with Pylon Owners."

"Well, I can't say anything for others, but I promise to play nice," I said and looked over at him, "Happy?"

He nodded.

"How come you're bringing this up in the first place? This isn't like you." I asked.

Austin sighed and looked down, "It's what I saw during my trip. The... animosity people have is sometimes frightening."

"How do you figure?"

"On an individual level, people take things strictly because they can. I ran into plenty of people who would steal the clothes off my back if they thought they were stronger. While some would stop at theft, plenty more would kill me just for the essence.

"But I'm more worried about a higher level. Pylon owners or Factions that hate each other. Marcus and his Faction hate The Reservation. Not to the point it's open war, but I wouldn't be surprised if they got into a fight if they met.

"Chicago has already been conquered through War and there are probably countless other stories similar enough," Austin said. "But you, up here far away from everything, haven't experienced it. There isn't even a Faction you're on bad terms with."

I jumped to correct him, "Ashton and I aren't on the best terms."

"Yes, but would it devolve into a full-blown fight if you saw him again?" He asked.

"No," I answered. Ashton had sent a few letters since the incident and our relationship was on the mend. It helped that we were both profiting from the mine and growing our respective cities.

"Alright, I see your point, is there anything else you wish to lecture me on Mother?" I smirked.

"Hey! There's no need for name-calling."

"Just calling it like I see it."

Austin laughed and got up from my bed to wander around the room, "There is, actually. You never told me about the changes, my Lord." His bow was totally insincere.

"Other than the usual of increased range and whatnot, a few other things changed. The positions we can appoint grew so a few more people can be chosen. It also increased what already appointed members can do.

"Jonathan now has the ability to link a marketplace to our pylon. Abigail has a few more management tools at her disposal and a few other tricks. Most of the advantages won't make themselves known until people start evolving.

"The Class and Profession upgrades for people will be a lot better than they would otherwise be."

Austin waved his hands, "Woah there, move it back a little bit. Jonathan can link a what now?"

"As our Head Merchant, he can dedicate a building to be linked to our pylon. There are stipulations, such as the building has to be used as a marketplace, trading hall, or auction house, but that isn't hard to fulfill." I answered.

"And what does this linking do?"

"Depending on the rank of the Merchant doing the linking, and the level of the pylon being linked, the benefits differ. It makes everything better for his Profession. A better discount on purchase, cheaper teleportation fees, and wider range." I said.

"Huh, is it only for Merchants, or others too?"

"Phillip got a few upgrades for his Profession making construction easier, and Elliot and Hal got a few changes that should make their job easier."

"That's... cool. I guess. Not really anything super, but I guess they were happy." Austin tried and failed to sound enthusiastic. "Speaking of, I had Vinny make you something."

Austin then pulled a small box out of his pocket. The size of it was rather small and it surprised me that I hadn't noticed it before, not that I had been looking.

The dimensions of the box gave me an inkling of what was in it, but opening it confirmed my suspicions.

"A ring," I said trying to be nice. Rings... weren't something I wore. The one from the tutorial being the sole exception. My strength was too much for delicate jewelry. Rings would bend or break when I wielded my hammer.

"Don't be like that. I had Vinny make it as strong as he could." Austin said.

"Even if he did, and it holds up now, it won't eventually." At the rate my strength grew, the ring wouldn't last. I did notice that the alloy he used was particularly strong, but I was unsure of how long it would last.

"Then we'll make another. A Baron should have a signet ring. That much is common sense."

Taking a closer look at the ring made it obvious of its intended use. The circular face was left blank, but the rest of the ring was polished to a shine. It was ready to be carved into whatever shape I desired.

I had a sigil in mind already, the one I used to carve into my hammer during creation, but so much had changed that a new one wasn't out of the picture.

"You don't even have a flag, or at least a banner. You should at least choose official colors. Our Faction needs some representation before we go down South. Even Marcus has a flag." Austin complained.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Should I have done that before or after fighting a horde of Demons?"

"I'm just saying." Austin shrugged.

"I'll get right on that."

~~

Jayla

The harshest of the Winter snows were already breaking and the last blast of Cold would soon be gone with it. The mountain blocked the worst of the weather, but that wouldn't be the case out in the Great Plains.

"Are they ready?" She asked.

Walter double-checked a sheet of paper off to the side before responding, "We are. It should take a month to reach Yellowstone."

She had to fight to keep the scowl from her face. Everything had been going fine up until the obelisk was found. After that, so many plans had to be revised and altered. The trade routes she hoped to forge were put on hold.

Instead of large caravans taking shape and ready to head out to various pylons, it was an army headed toward the obelisk.

Being so far away from where it was found made her have to leave so much earlier than the timer indicated. To reach St. Louis before Summer, they had to leave now.

"A month?" She groaned, "Even with dedicated Waggoneers and Caravan Leaders?"

"Yes, Ma'am." Walter said without looking up from his work, "They can only do so much."

Jayla wanted to continue pestering the man with questions but held back. She knew most of the answers anyway, she just didn't like them.

To cut down on travel time, she was only bringing the strongest of her City. This was going to be something people from all over came for which made the drivel she could drag with her not worth the effort.

Low E-ranks weren't even worth it in her opinion. The two or three thousand she could bring wouldn't amount to much with the number she was predicting would already be there.

Instead, over 500 of her best were standing ready to move out. Only waiting on her order. It would've been more, but many were lost trying to break through the mountains.

They'd first go through Yellowstone to resupply and combine with his army, the thought rankled her, but it was better than going alone.

"I trust you to keep everything running, Walter." She said, "I don't know how this will go, but..."

"I understand, Ma'am. I'll make sure there's a City to return to." He said.

It was funny how quickly trust could be brokered. Before the tutorial, Jayla hadn't even met the man but she would trust him with her life if it came to it now. They'd shed blood together and had each other's backs through thick and thin.

Errant rock dust began to vibrate as bell tolls marked the time. The deep tones caused everything not bolted down to rattle slightly.

"It's time." She said.

~~

Marcus

"How are the preparations?" Marcus asked the group in front of him.

The meeting table was full with every member of his upper management. All of them were working on various things but only one interested Marcus right now. They had been working throughout the Winter to make it feasible, yet nothing had gone right and the project was still being worked on.

"On schedule," Gregory said.

Marcus raised an eyebrow at that but didn't mention anything. He'd heard the latest reports and the fact they were barely on schedule was left unmentioned.

"And the latest test?"

"Another failure."

His grip tightened around the wooden armrest but he controlled it enough to not break the chair. After their success in defeating the Swarm, everything moved swiftly. Some more swiftly than others.

His City had one advantage over all others and Marcus wanted to make use of that advantage, yet he couldn't.

Being placed at the start of the Mississippi River should have been a boon. Fresh Water, a major waterway that could lead to anywhere in the world, and plenty of trading opportunities downstream.

Yet, instead of the massive advantage, the River had only brought problems. First, it was the bugs, then it was the water life, and now it was roaming beasts.

Defending the treasure was hard enough, but making use of the River was another story. Boats were torn apart by both monsters and the environment.

Their attempts to make them stronger didn't work either. As that only delayed the inevitable.

Massive steel hulls held up the longest, but they were torn apart before they could even reach the next City.

The only test that went even remotely positive was the one where Marcus captained the vessel himself. He was able to fend off the worst of the creatures but even he wasn't enough to last forever.

If their plans to reach the obelisk by river were to be realized, they would need to pick up the pace.

"Dedicate more materials to the shipyards. All the metal we can spare and best planks should go toward the boat project." Marcus ordered. "And get every able-bodied enchanter to figure out a way to make this work."

They had dabbled in enchanting the hulls, but that took time and effort they couldn't afford to waste. The time and materials it took to enchant one boat could have been used to construct half a dozen others.

"Any word from the South?" he asked.

A pile of paper was handed to him detailing the recent events they knew of. Some of it worth knowing while the rest were pointless rumors.

The bits that were useful, he picked out of the stack and moved to write a letter of his own.

While they hadn't been here long, they had made a lasting impression.